Carlos Alcaraz closed out the 2025 season as the year-end World No. 1 for the second time in his career. Despite losing to Jannik Sinner in the final of the ATP Finals, the Spaniard had already secured the top ranking. His season ended with an injury that kept him out of the Davis Cup Finals, where Spain finished as runners-up.
Criticism from Jimmy and Brett Connors
Alcaraz’s decision to play exhibitions during the off-season drew comments from American tennis legend Jimmy Connors and his son Brett. “Going into the new year, let’s see how many exhibitions Carlos Alcaraz plays in the next month. Well, I mean, the whole thing is… it’s the money-making season,” Brett Connors said on their podcast. Jimmy Connors added: “Yeah, it’s the money-making season, like you haven’t made enough anyway. It’s going to be interesting to see. Do they force it and play more exhibitions and go into the Australian tired?”
Alcaraz responds to the debate
Alcaraz addressed the criticism in an interview with The Associated Press, acknowledging that the situation can seem contradictory. “First of all, it’s normal that people think that way and they don’t understand why we’re complaining about the calendar and then we set up the exhibition matches,” he said.
The difference between tournaments and exhibitions
Alcaraz explained that exhibitions are far less demanding than official tournaments. “But for me, the main difference is that, at a tournament, you’ve got to keep your focus and it’s really physically and mentally demanding for one week and a half. And an exhibition is just one day. You just stay focused, just warm up, just practice not that much — for one match,”
he added.Balancing competition and recovery
For Alcaraz, exhibitions provide a way to stay sharp without the heavy toll of a full tournament schedule. His comments highlight the ongoing debate in tennis about balancing the sport’s demanding calendar with opportunities for players to engage with fans and sponsors during the off-season.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2025
Currently ranked no.1, Carlos played his last match on the 16th of November when he was overcome by world no.2 Jannik Sinner 7-6(4) 7-5 in the final in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
Presently, during this year Carlos owns a 71-9 win-loss record. The Spaniard conquered 8 titles in 2025 in Rotterdam, Monte-Carlo, Rome, French Open, London, Cincinnati, U.S. Open and Tokyo. Carlos reached the final in Barcelona, Wimbledon and the Nitto ATP Finals.